The quintessential Aussie island escape
South Molle Island Resort, part of the stunning Whitsunday Islands off the coast of Queensland, Australia, was established in the 1950s by the Bauer family and thrived until the 1990s.
From basic beginnings, the island paradise fringed by white sandy beaches and the clear blue waters of the Great Barrier Reef became a major tropical holiday drawcard. Its charm drew families, couples, divers, and nature lovers from around the world. A place to unwind, explore the reef, swim, sunbathe and soak up its idyllic scenery.
The Resort’s glossy travel brochures featured sun-bronzed holidaymakers sipping cocktails, bobbing in sailboats on turquoise water, playing golf and tennis and snorkelling in the nearby corals of the Great Barrier Reef. With a small sandy beach, large pool, small golf course, tennis courts, boat hire and cruises to the corals of the Barrier Reef and to other island resorts, there was plenty on offer. It was promoted as an ideal get-away for singles, families, backpackers, and anyone keen on reef snorkelling by day and trivia nights at the bar after dark. It wasn’t ultra-luxury, but that was part of its charm.
A charm that attracted the author of the Outback Adventures series
Visiting the resort on numerous occasions, initially he was just one of its many guests.
A regular visitor a decade later, the resort became host to a variety of tour programs he operated, his clients staying from four to six days on the island over the cold southern winter months of June to September. A drawcard for the tour clients who revelled in its tropical warmth, wearing bathers or bikinis most of the day and never understanding how the long-time gardener always wore jumpers. “Might feel like a southern summer to you, but to me this is winter.”
The author’s love and affection for the resort and its surrounding islands led them to become one of the settings in two of his novels.
A Paradise Almost Lost
While damaged by cyclones on a number of occasions, in 2017, Cyclone Debbie’s ferocious winds tore across the island, ripping roofs from buildings, smashing windows, and tossing boats around like bathtub toys, gutting accommodation blocks, filling the pool with debris and leaving the once-cheerful jetty twisted and broken. A vibrant holiday destination no more.
Today the resort now lays abandoned, and while its buildings and facilities are slowly being reclaimed by nature and time, South Molle isn’t entirely forlorn. As much of the island is a national park, its hiking trails, secluded beaches, and knockout views across the Coral Sea still attract adventurous visitors. Boats still drop anchor nearby and day-trippers explore its shores.
The resort may be silent, but the island itself is very much alive - waiting a new future.
A Part of the Story
Outback Vengeance –www.williamsimsbooks/outbackvengeance
While South Molle Island Resort is a minor element in other novels, South and North Molle islands play a key role in the psychological action-adventure saga Outback Vengeance.
Desperate for freedom, after Marton Landor escapes communist Hungary, the story sweeps through Egypt, Singapore, Greece, the sunny surf beaches of eastern Australia and the islands of Queensland’s Whitsunday Passage. Fate eventually lands Marton in remote Alice Springs where, tragedy, passion, and obsession follow his every move as he battles to build a new life in this remote Central Australian town, discovering freedom comes at a price.
Committing to a crusade to eliminate a festering cancer, the world’s media gather for a major international rally. There, security forces discover a plan to cripple the top-secret US intelligence facility nestling in the town’s outskirts. But is this Marton’s only threat?
Other Outback Adventures by William Sims – www.williamsimsbooks.com
SOUTH MOLLE ISLAND - A ONE-TIME TROPICAL PARADISE